Surfgrass is an angiosperm
with true leaves, stems, and rootstocks, not an alga. P. scouleri:
leaves are characteristically flat and wide (2-4 mm); leaves arise from a
congested rhizotomous base; flowers are basal or nearly basal on short peduncles
(1-6 cm), and spadices are usually solitary.

P. torreyi:
leaves are characteristically less than 2 mm wide and are generally more firm,
cylindrical, and wiry than P. scouleri; leaves arise from a congested
rhizotomous base; flowers on elongate peduncles (>1 dm long) and spadices
several

Phyllospadix
torreyi

Phyllospadix
scouleri

Habitat and Range
(from Kendall et al. 2002):

P. scouleri: found
at or below zero tide level or in mid-low tide pools from Vancouver Island
to southern California.

P. torreyi:
found at or below zero tide level or in mid-low tide pools from northern California
to Baja California; more likely to be found in sand-scoured areas than is
P. scouleri.

Phyllospadix
torreyi

Phyllospadix
scouleri

Phyllospadix
scouleri

Biology:

Surfgrass habitat is
highly productive, providing shelter for many invertebrates and supporting
many species of algae (Stewart and Myers 1980). The red algae Smithora
naiadum and Melobesia mediocris are exclusively epiphytic on sea
grasses, such as surfgrass (Abbott and Hollenberg 1976). Surfgrass also provides
nursery habitat for fishes and invertebrates, such as the California spiny
lobster (Engle 1979). Phyllospadix is susceptible to desiccation and
heat stress during low midday tides (Raimondi et al. 1999). It is also sensitive
to sewage (Littler and Murray 1975) and oiling (Foster et al. 1998). If the
rhizome systems remain viable, then recovery following disturbance can be
fairly rapid; however, recovery is long if the entire bed is lost because
recruitment is irregular (Turner 1983,1985) and restoration projects have
been unsuccessful.